Rose's Pov
April Turner, twenty-five, is a vision of beauty and grace. She carries an air of cheerfulness and a charm uniquely hers. Her kindness and passion for what she loves are a beacon of light in the lives of these children.
I admire her maturity and confidence the most, while her other qualities make her an easy target for exploitation.
To her, having a new landlord means finally having someone interested in helping her save this place, but it's also an opportunity to finally seize control of my life. I hope he agrees to help rebuild the home, but it's still in my favor if he doesn't think this structure is worth saving.
That way, I'll no longer be responsible for this place, and there'll be no guilt in my heart leaving here to chase my dreams. In a couple of days, I'll be closer to realizing them than ever before, despite April's self-righteous glares at me each time I express my excitement for the future.
If she genuinely believes Cantia has a future and decides to waste her life in this place, then that's her choice. I don't fault her for not having other dreams outside Cantia. After all, not everyone has dreams and aspirations, especially being raised in a place like this.
However, it's disappointing that a beautiful and intelligent girl like her would want to waste her life trying to save a place many have attempted to save but failed.
Finally, the day arrived. The new investor was in town and would be here to inspect his property, as he'd stated in his letter. And, of course, April left no stone unturned to ensure that today went on without a hitch. She had us working ourselves to the bone to give him an impressive welcome.
We were reviewing the plan one last time to ensure everything had been taken care of when Viktor barged into the office.
"I'm telling you, I've got a bad feeling about this," he stated, more frantic than usual, "finally looked up the new landlord, and from what I deduced, he isn't very charming. I know you both will say being charming doesn't mean niceness, but—"
"A nice person is always charming, we know," April and I recited in uniform.
But that got him even more frustrated and anxious. Seeing this, I flashed him a smile before complimenting him with a dash of flattery.
"Well, in that regard, nobody is as charming as you, Viktor."
Viktor Senders— twenty-six, stands six feet tall, has a commanding presence that's hard to ignore. His long, brown hair, often tousled by the summer breezes, added a touch of wildness to his handsome features.
His grey eyes, reminiscent of a foggy Californian morning, are captivating and mysterious. They held a certain depth that hinted at a rich inner world. His chiseled jawline was a testament to his fitness and health, adding to his attractive features.
His overall appearance embodies a laid-back yet adventurous spirit. He carries the sunshine in his heart and aura, and his charm is as undeniable as it is irresistible. Around here, he passes off as the perfect illusion of a gentleman.
However, this isn't the first time our dear friend has interrupted us with his paranoid assessment of the new investor, and he seems particularly and genuinely worried this time. When he didn't respond to my compliment, April and I glanced at each other.
Complimenting him was one of the ways we'd learned to help calm his nerves whenever he got this way. It was supposed to be funny, but my humor was wasted on him this time.
"Viktor?" April called out, but he seemed lost in his mind, "Viktor?!"
"What?" he jerked as he rejoined us. "Of course, no one is as charming as I am. But I tell you ladies, Mr. Ortis neither looks agreeable nor affable. I don't want you both getting your hopes up for nothing."
April chuckled and then proceeded to poke my side gently. She is teasing me right now because she knows Viktor's worry is simply a result of him caring for me. Ever since we were little kids, he has had a crush on me.
His mom, Anya, is a pediatrician whose love for helping kids brought her and her son here when he was eight after the death of her husband, and they haven't left ever since. Since she is Cantia's home doctor, Viktor grew up here in the home and naturally became close friends with us.
Inspired by his mom and late dad's passion for medicine, Viktor also wanted to become a doctor and was currently in med school. But he never missed a chance to volunteer by assisting his mom here.
So, I understand if Viktor doesn't understand the personalities and dynamics of these wealthy businessmen. But April was already nervous to meet Mr. Ortiz and might now think he is a bully or some brute from Spain.
"He's a billionaire in charge of a multi-billion-dollar Construction Company in Madrid; of course, people would tag him as unfriendly—" I informed him, but he cut me off.
"Unfriendly? Don't you mean harsh, vile, heartless, cruel?"
"Whoa, whoa. Easy now, Viktor. Isn't all that a bit too critical? I mean, it's all stuff you read about him online, which may or may not be true," April defended, playing the devil's advocate.
"Exactly my point," I resumed my argument, "he's a successful, young and handsome man. That alone is a recipe for bloodthirsty tabloids to spread lies and gossip about him."
I mentioned, trying to divert April's focus from Viktor's negative opinion about Mr. Ortiz since she's already on edge.
"Wait, he's young?" she inquired, suddenly tensing up at this new information. "Our new landlord is a young man?"
"Well... if you consider thirty-three to be young, then... yeah," I replied.
"He's just thirty-three?!" she exclaimed, shocked by his age. But why is that suddenly important?
"Exactly my point," Viktor added, not helping the situation. I threw him a sharp warning before reaching for April's hand.
"Don't listen to Viktor; he's just full of negativity as always."
"It's not about Viktor or his negativity. A thirty-three-year-old might not even care to know what we're doing here," she stated doubtfully.
"Look, April. Everything will be fine," I encouraged but was suddenly drawn aback. "Wait, I'm surprised you didn't look him up even once. What age were you expecting our guest to be exactly?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone older who has seen life and understands why we want to preserve this place for these children," she replied, sadly collapsing into her chair.
I get how she must be feeling. She has put a lot of work into impressing the new owner, and it might all be for nothing.
"Hey, now. It's not over until we've tried, remember? With the three of us in this together, there's no way he won't listen to us," I encouraged harder until I got a weak smile from her.
"Rose is right," Viktor quickly added, gently rubbing her shoulder. "You've put so much thought into planning tonight, and I know it'll be a success."
That eased her up a bit. In a little while, she was lively again, which made me feel much better.
"But you should've looked him up, though," Viktor expressed, and I agreed, nodding.
"Yeah, I think so too. You may have found him... pleasant to look at, at least."
Indeed, when I looked up Jacob Ortiz, I found him quite alluring. The man was mighty fine, and I don't mean just his piercing brown eyes or firm chiseled jawline. His body was built to incite lust, and his obsidian-colored hair looked so deep and rich, like a pool of ink that framed his face perfectly.
Even his highlighted features made me long so much to touch his face once before being swallowed whole by his captivating gaze.
But I lied. Mr. Ortiz was a real bad boy with playboy status. His young single billionaire persona got gossip magazines talking about him, accompanied by several scandals and love affairs in just two weeks of his arrival in California.
He was the kind of guy you don't want around your sister, girlfriend, or wife, so yeah. He had a trashy public image and was a real heartbreaker, but April doesn't need to know that.
Mr. Ortiz's arrival and enigmatic presence stirred excitement and nervousness. I'd seen his pictures in blog posts and magazines, but goddamn, he was far more dashing in real life.
We were all shocked seeing him for the first time as he stepped out of his car at the entrance. He emanated confidence and power, but something about him screamed cold and calculating. And it drew me in, luring me into a deep, dark, hopeful promise of enamored obsession, and I wanted it.
I want him.
The younger kids were first to welcome him with a bouquet and a beautiful song I had composed specially just for this occasion. As I mentioned earlier, April left no stone unturned for this day.
Fortunately for us, the evening went without any mishaps. So, when all the excitement had died down, April led him into the office for a discussion.
I had refused to be part of the meeting because I didn't care much about that part of her plan, but I soon regretted it as I got so captivated by his presence and craved it now like a person with an addiction.
All evening, I imagined how to get close to Mr. Ortiz and maybe ask him out for coffee in the morning because I felt like I had found my soul mate the moment I had set my eyes on him.
Maybe that was why I was stuck here all these years. Perhaps I needed to meet him here tonight, and if that's the case, then I don't regret my wasted time here.
I became so antsy while waiting for them to finish up with the meeting that I almost barged in. What could they possibly be talking about?
When I reached my breakpoint, I began heading straight for the office, when I almost bumped into April just outside the office corridor. She seemed more sneaky than usual, so I immediately sensed something I wouldn't like had gone down there.
"Whatcha doing out here?" I quizzed, folding my arms as I shot her a sharp gaze. "Shouldn't you be in there trying to explain shit to Mr. Ortiz about the home and saving it?"
But she sighed and shrugged in defeat to my question before answering,
"I tried, but I couldn't get him to see reason. He doesn't... care about this place; all he wants is to tear it down and erect a business complex or something in its place."
Well, that sucks. We were hoping he was nicer than the way the media portrayed him to be.
"That's a bummer. So, what else happened? What did you say?" I pried, knowing that she was trying to hide something.
"I... tried to buy us some time and thought maybe if we could show him how beneficial the home is to the kids, he might reconsider."
"You thought? And how the hell do you plan on doing that?"
"Well, I looked him up, and something about needing his privacy from the media while he's in the States for a couple of months sounded like a great opportunity. So, I told him he could stay here for a while—"
"Wait, you did what?" I interrupted, shocked by her sheer guts.
"I asked him to stay," she repeated, feigning ignorance.
"You can't be serious. How dare you make decisions without asking me first?"
"I did ask you to be present in the meeting, and you refused. I'm sorry for not taking a five-minute break to confide in you and ask for your humble opinion."
I could feel the temper rising and a sudden rush of fury taking over at her sleazy attempt to be sarcastic. Does she think she's now the boss around here? Okay, game on.
"So, let me get this straight. Your bright idea is to offer a man who has voiced his lack of desire to save this home a place to live among us for the next few months?"
"That, and that I'll be his assistant throughout his stay," she added, infuriating me to the moon.
What? Wait, how?
"Have you gone mad?" I yelled, drawing closer to smack her hard on the face, but somehow stopped myself in time, "And with all your generous offers, you think this place will still be around when he's done living for free in a few months? Aren't you getting a bit above yourself again?"
Trust April to always fuck things up for everyone. I mean, what is the plan here?
"I did my best, and he gave his word. All we need to do now is try to make the home look nicer, and it might convince him not to tear it down after his stay."
I can't believe it. So, now we bank on luck to get us out of a ruthless tycoon's path?
What even got to me the most is that she applied to be his fucking assistant. How did that even happen?
"Your stupidity is stunning," I flared, severing all ties to her, "if I don't get the curtsey of you asking for my opinion before making decisions that affect Cantia, then you can't tell me what to do."
"Rose, please don't be mad. I'm sorry, okay? I simply took the initiative when you didn't indicate interest in tonight's meeting. It wasn't to spite you or anything, I promise," she patronized, aggravating me even more.
That's it. I was done enduring her insolence and thought it was time she was reminded who calls the shots around here. Either that or she puts us all out on the streets.
"I can no longer trust you to run Cantia's affairs alone. So, from now on, I'll take over and only me."
Her dismay at my assertion proved she clearly understood what I meant.
"You can't do that," she countered, with furrowed brows, "you have no right to even say that to me. I've burst my ass off to make sure Cantia is safe; I'll keep doing that no matter what you say."
"We'll see about that then. Maybe I'll have matron Doris come and explain how things still work around here," I stated before walking away.
Matron Doris is the oldest matron in Cantia, and she oversees everything. We got the position of managers to relieve her of some burden in her old age.
And since she has always been fond of me, she hoped I'd be the one solely handling things instead. So, I knew whose side she'd take on this matter if we dared bring it up.
So, if we can't get this place up and running in a few months, it will be destroyed?
I may have overreacted to April making decisions without me, but she was far too forward tonight and made reckless decisions.
And then there's the fact that she'll be Mr. Ortiz's assistant and be close to him daily. How is that fair to me?
But I'll fix all that in the morning, including the tight situation we're all in now.
The morning came, and I hoped to catch Mr. Ortiz's attention by all means possible. But that wench was always by his side.
However, he finally noticed my advances and responded nicely in the evening. This made me wonder why he decided to have April next to him as his assistant.
I had to find out. If it has nothing to do with sexual attraction, then we're good. But if it does, things won't go down well for her.
"Good evening, Ms. Anderson," he greeted with a light smile. "What brings you here?"
I came to make sure my hypothesis was correct, and I chuckled.
"Just came to see if you're well taken care of. I'm always happy to lend my special guests an extra hand when needed." I flirted, disregarding her presence.
"Well, I have a few things that could use your attention," he replied, voice dripping with innuendo. "Maybe you could come a little closer so we can discuss them in detail."
Oh my God, was Jacob Ortiz flirting with me in April's presence? I was right. He doesn't give a fuck about her. It was surreal.
"I'd love to," I stated, a seductive smile spread across my face, "but not in here, and maybe later?"
As soon as I said that, I caught a twinge of disgust in her face as she heard us flirt, and I loved it. I fucking knew there was more to the time they spent in here last night, but she tried to hide that she had the hots for him too.
Why else would she agree to work for him as his assistant? Did our prim and proper April Turner finally decide to go all slutty on Jacob Ortiz and get rejected?
And now, was he playing along with me to irritate her? That sly bitch. What was she thinking? Much to her annoyance, I want to gain his affection badly. This should be fun.